RUSSIA MILITARY BASE IN ARMENIA "NOT AGGRESSIVE IN NATURE" SAYS RUSSIAN DEPUTY PM
All Headline News
April 13 2007
Komfie Manalo – All Headline News Correspondent Moscow, Russia (AHN) –
Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov on Wednesday assured
Armenians that is Gyumri military base in the country is not designed
to pose any threat to third countries.
Ivanov issued the announcement at the Armenian capital of Yerevan.
The Russian official said, "The base… is not aggressive in its
nature and does not target third countries."
He said the base will handle security problems within the context
of the Collective Security Treaty Organization framework to be
effectively resolved.
"The presence of a base here is an element of strategic partnership,
which also includes economy, culture, and the Russian language — there
are a lot of components making up the idea of strategic partnership,"
he said.
Ivanon adds, "I believe Armenia is our strategic partner. This is
not measured only by a military factor, but also by hundreds and
thousands of years of ties and our common history and culture."
The Gyumiri military base in Armenia was recently upgraded by the
Russian military when it deployed part of its military hardware to
the base.
The base is Russia’s 102nd military base and Moscow expects no problem
in maintaining the facility. Russia supplies Armenia with military
products at internal prices.
In his May 2004 visit to Armenia, Ivanov held talks with his Armenian
counterpart
Serge Sarkisian to discuss Russian-Armenian cooperation in the field
of defense, military-technological cooperation and military personnel
training.